Frankfurt Preview: Look out, the new Chevy Aveo 5-door wants to eat you

Click image for gallery

The Chevy Aveo has never been a car to set one's heart racing, but the restyled 2007 edition in sedan form is a decent-looking economy car with a visually appealing interior. Here in the US, the Aveo5 hatchback retained its old looks, which were nothing special, and we all assumed that at some point it would take on the same freshened appearance of the sedan.

Well, we were wrong. Chevy will introduce a revised Aveo 5-door next month in Frankfurt for the European market, but those looking for a hatchback version of the sedan that all markets share will be disappointed. And possibly even frightened. That's because the Aveo hatchback's new face has taken the Chevy split-grille to the extreme, adopting an oversized, angry maw bissected by a substantial Bowtie-adorned crossbar. The upturned headlights augment the angry look, but all that visual aggression backed only by a pair of docile four-bangers putting out 84 hp (1.2L ) or 98 hp (1.4L). The Aveo even gets a trendy side extractor vent on the front fender, leading us to believe that it's probably time to put that styling cue to bed. On the upside, Aveo now has something in common with Cadillac.

GM also says the hatchback sports a new interior, but has not yet released photos. We're guessing it's the same one found in the sedan. The European models will launch in March of next year. Will the new Aveo 5-door come to the U.S.? We certainly hope not looking like that.

[Source: GM]

View 12 Photos


Striking exterior and high-class interior
New Chevrolet Aveo celebrates its world premiere in Frankfurt
  • Launch in Europe as of March 2008
  • Two petrol engines with 84 or 98 hp; manual or automatic transmission
Zurich. Chevrolet Europe will present the Kalos' successor at the Frankfurt Motor Show (13 to 23 September 2007). The most significant features of this completely reworked model are its striking exterior, its high-class interior and a new, even more efficient petrol engine. Like its notchback stable mate, the new hatchback model will now bear the Aveo name throughout Europe. Sales will start in March 2008.

The Aveo hatchback sports Chevrolet's new design features, as characterised by the big horizontally split radiator grille with a body-coloured crossbeam and the brand logo sitting prominently in the center. The dynamic detailing includes large, curved, clear-glass headlamps and fog lamps that project like spotlights from the lower part of the bumper. In profile, the body's prominent shoulder lines catch the eye, while the back of the car is dominated by the solid bumper and the round tail lamps in a clear-glass housing.

There is a choice of two petrol engines: a new 1.2-litre unit with an output of 84 hp, and the existing 1.4-litre engine, which now develops 98 hp and is available with automatic transmission.

Share This Photo X